The present invention relates generally to fingernail clippers and more particularly to clippers for artificial fingernails.
Artificial nails can be attached to natural fingernails to provide the appearance of long natural fingernails. Artificial nails are typically composed of elongate plastic material having a crescent-shaped cross section similar to a natural nail but much thicker. Artificial nails are thus far less likely to split or break. To mount artificial nails in place, they are first attached to the natural nail and then clipped to a desired length with a series of lateral cuts across the nail to form a rough outline of the desired curvature. The roughened edge is then filed to a smooth, continuous curvature, and is then buffed. In the filing and buffing step, plastic dust is introduced into the work area. This dust can adhere to any previously applied but wet fingernail polish, and thus can complicate the preparation process.
To overcome some of the problems inherent in the above-described process, I developed a single cut clipper for artificial nails, and was granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,190. That patent describes a nail clipper having a nail holder with a crescent-shaped aperture to receive an artificial fingernail, and has a straight edged blade slidably mounted in face-to-face relation to the nail holder. As the blade of the clipper is actuated, its edge is driven across the aperture to sever the artificial nail and form with one stroke a cut of desired continuous curvature controlled by suitable orientation of the clipper as the nail is clipped.
While my previously patented single cut clipper has been successful and has been widely adopted by artificial fingernail users, the design of this earlier clipper is somewhat complicated and is therefore more expensive than perhaps desirable. Another potential drawback with my prior clipper is that it includes a link which exerts a forward and downward force o the cutting blade as the blade is actuated. This downward force presses the rear end of the blade against the nail holder, and may tend to cause the cutting blade to slightly tilt away from the nail holder at the cutting edge of the blade, thereby presenting the possibility of a less-than-precise cut.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fingernail clipper which overcomes the drawbacks and limitations of the prior art proposals. More specifically, the invention has as its objects the following: (1) to develop a fingernail clipper which is more simple and therefore less expensive than clippers now available; (2) to provide a clipper having a blade which is activated in a motion which increases the accuracy or effectiveness of the cut; (3) the provision of a reciprocating blade fingernail clipper requiring a minimum of linkage to slide the blade; (4) to provide a clipper which clips an artificial nail to its final shape with a single cut and with selective curvature to thereby minimize the filing required and plastic dust generated during the cutting process; (5) to develop a fingernail clipper in which one of the handles directly engages the blade to produce a reciprocating action by the blade; and (6) to develop a reciprocating blade fingernail clipper in which the blade may be easily removed for repair or replacement.